RACINE — By the end of last season, the Shoreland Lutheran football team didn’t have enough healthy players to field a team.

Now, the Pacers’ biggest health concern is how coach Paul Huebner will feel this morning after taking a bucket of ice water over his head on a cold night after the Pacers qualified for the WIAA Division-5 playoffs with Friday’s resounding 47-8 Metro Classic Conference win over rival Racine Lutheran at Hammes Field.

KENOSHA — As the final seconds ticked off the clock, Shoreland Lutheran senior lineman Zach Brug raced to the northwest corner of Ameche Field to retrieve the school’s newest prized possession.

After doubling up rival St. Joseph, 40-20, in a Metro Classic Conference matchup on Saturday afternoon, the Pacers were awarded the traveling Lighthouse Classic trophy. The behemoth hardware, which would put the Stanley Cup to shame, was hoisted over Brug’s head as his smiling teammates celebrated around him.

Shoreland Lutheran football coach Paul Huebner knows how to bring an interview to a screeching halt.

While chatting about Saturday afternoon’s Metro Classic Conference matchup with St. Joseph earlier this week, the fourth-year Shoreland coach was talking about his team’s turnaround from last year’s 1-8 season when he said, “The biggest thing — and I think about it every day — is how healthy we have been blessed to be.”

Johnson caught three touchdown passes from Jake Anderson and returned a kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown in the second half. Johnson finished with seven catches for 181 yards with TD receptions of 65, 56 and 9 yards.

Explosive plays propelled the Shoreland Lutheran football team on Saturday afternoon.

The Pacers scored five offensive touchdowns covering at least 30 yards and added a defensive touchdown in a resounding 42-0 Metro Classic Conference victory over St. Thomas More at Saint Francis High School.

Shoreland held the lead in the second quarter at state-ranked Burlington Catholic Central but wound up losing 43-28 in the Metro Classic Conference opener for both schools in Burlington.

The Pacers (1-2) took a 14-10 lead on Markus Held’s 25-yard run but the 2-1 Hilltoppers, ranked fourth in the latest WisSports.net poll, grabbed a 22-14 lead at half and put the game out of reach with three touchdowns in the third quarter.

The Shoreland Lutheran football team turned the ball over six times (four interceptions, two fumbles) and was held to minus-3 rushing yards in a 64-0 Metro Classic Conference loss to Racine St. Catherine’s on Thursday night at Horlick Field.

The Angels (7-1, 6-0) clinched at least a share of the Metro Classic title with their 18th consecutive conference victory.

Korey Robinson’s game-high 227 yards rushing wasn’t enough as the Shoreland football team lost to Whitefish Bay Dominican, 42-26, in a Metro Classic Conference game Friday night in Somers.

The Pacers (0-5, 1-6) trailed 26-12 at halftime. Shoreland opened the scoring on a 16-yard pass play from Justin Landreman to Ben Rust to make it 6-0 with 7 minutes, 12 seconds left in the first quarter.